What information will an inmate search provide? 

With the name and date of birth, the jail staff will confirm if they have anyone by that name and age in custody. They can usually tell you things like: 

• The cause of the arrest
• The date and time of the arrest
• If they are in holding or if they have been arraigned 
• If a bond has been set and the amount

Some jail staff will provide a little more information if they aren’t busy. If you’re doing an inmate search on a holiday or weekend, don’t expect to have much conversation other than the basics we listed. 

What should you do after you’ve found the person in your inmate search? 

You can either call a defense attorney, who will post bail, or you can call a bail bond agent. Both will get the person of your inmate search out of jail if bail was allowed and set by the arraigning judge. 

With a defense attorney, you will need to sign an agreement they are to represent your loved one and that their base fee will be paid by you or the defendant. Some may want a retainer upfront and others will wait until the first official meeting in the office. If you have a family attorney, you may not have to pay anything until their court date, verdict, and sentencing have taken place. 

With a bail bond agent, you’ll be required to come to their office for paperwork and to pay a fee before they go to the courthouse. The fee is usually 10% of the bail amount the judge set, but depending on the accused crime, it could be as much as 20%. 

Both the defense attorney and the bail bond agent will take inmate search steps themselves before having you sign any paperwork. They may be able to have the bail amount reduced or even waived in some rare cases. And they can usually get more information about the arrest and surrounding circumstances to give you a better idea of what happened. 

What happens next? 

Once you have a successful inmate search and found your loved one, got a bail bond agent or defense attorney to post bail, they will advise you and the defendant of the next steps to expect. This will typically start by meeting with a defense attorney and reviewing the arrest records. They will take notes and advise the defendant how to proceed starting with the appearance in court. 

Does the inmate search process cost? 

No, most cities, counties, and states offer inmate searches on their website at no charge. If you don’t find the person you’re looking for online, you can call, but again, depending on the day of the week and time of day, you may find yourself on hold for an extended time. As it is said, ‘you get what you pay for’ and since the inmate search is free, the level of information you get via phone or online may be extremely basic and limited. 

If you have a bail bond agent or defense attorney do the inmate search for you instead, they have the right to charge you. While they may use the same online search that is available to you, most of them have their own portal that provides more information that they can relay to you – at a cost. 

After the inmate search and court hearing, what happens? 

That will all depend on what the charges were that resulted in the arrest and if the person was found guilty, and if they have any criminal history. The one thing for certain in all of this, you and your loved one have a long road ahead of legalities and more. This arrest can affect their employment, their standing in the community, their family’s finances, and their future.